‘more plants is always better:’ immersive landscapes, with claudia west

“Plants are the mulch,” Claudia said then about making immersive landscapes that engage humans as much as they do pollinators and other beneficial wildlife. So it’s tempting to choose the plants we buy for our gardens based on their looks alone.

Claudia and her colleague, Thomas Rainer, of Phyto Studio, who are co-authors of the groundbreaking 2015 book “Planting in a Post-Wild World” (affiliate link), have tougher criteria for which plants earn a spot in their designs. Claudia is here today to talk about how the Phyto Studio team figures out what makes the cut, and more.

Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page for a chance to win a copy of “Planting in a Post-Wild World.”

Read along as you listen to the Aug. 21, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

Margaret Roach: We’ve been having fun talking lately because we just did a “New York Times” garden column together which got a very passionate response, which was wonderful. I was so happy to see that.

Claudia West: We were honored. Thank you.

Margaret: Oh, well, I always learn so much in our conversations; in my conversations with you and with Thomas.  As I said, you brought up so many new things. Even though I know your work, I always hear new things. And so you talked about immersive landscapes, as I said in the introduction, and then versus under-vegetated